Just as fairy-tale magic can transform a loved one into a swan, the contributors to this book have transformed traditional fairy tales and legends into stories that are completely original, yet still tantalizingly familiar.
In this book you will find:
- a Rapunzel whose most confining prison is her loneliness
- a contemporary rendering of the Green Man myth
- two different versions of Red Riding Hood
- a tale that grew out of a Celtic folk song
- Sleeping Beauty's experience of her enchantment
- two works inspired by the Arabian Nights
- and more
In the follow-up to "A Wolf at the Door, " thirteen renowned authors come together with a selection of new and surprising adaptations of the fairy tales we think we know so well. These fresh takes on classic tales will show you sides of each story you never dreamed of.

Did you ever wonder what happened to the seven dwarfs after Snow White ditched them, or what life was like for the giant in "Jack and the Beanstalk?" Can you imagine a wicked stepsister who really gets what she deserves, and a Cinderella who isn't dainty, but actually rather plump? Then this is the book for you.
All the fairy tales you've heard over and over again are revisted here, made new by award-winning fantasy and science fiction authors: Garth Nix tells a twisted new version of "Hansel and Gretel," Nancy Farmer shows us what life was like for the princess's magical horse, Gregory Maguire provides a side of the seven dwarfs you've never seen, and Neil Gaiman lays out the "Instructions" that fairy tales should have taught you. In all, thirteen new stories are born from old fairy tales, some disturbing and dark, others strange and funny, but each offering something original and unexpected -- and as surprising as a wolf at the door.

"Gaslamp Fantasy," or historical fantasy set in a magical version of the nineteenth century, has long been popular with readers and writers alike. A number of wonderful fantasy novels, including "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman, "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell "by Susanna Clarke, and "The Prestige" by Christopher Priest, owe their inspiration to works by nineteenth-century writers ranging from Jane Austen, the Brontes, and George Meredith to Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and William Morris. And, of course, the entire steampunk genre and subculture owes more than a little to literature inspired by this period.
"Queen Victoria's Book of Spells "is an anthology for everyone who loves these works of neo-Victorian fiction, and wishes to explore the wide variety of ways that modern fantasists are using nineteenth-century settings, characters, and themes. These approaches stretch from steampunk fiction to the Austen-and-Trollope inspired works that some critics call Fantasy of Manners, all of which fit under the larger umbrella of Gaslamp Fantasy. The result is eighteen stories by experts from the fantasy, horror, mainstream, and young adult fields, including both bestselling writers and exciting new talents such as Elizabeth Bear, James Blaylock, Jeffrey Ford, Ellen Kushner, Tanith Lee, Gregory Maguire, Delia Sherman, and Catherynne M. Valente, who present a bewitching vision of a nineteenth century invested (or cursed ) with magic.

A "Kirkus Reviews "Best Fiction Book of 2013

Fascinated by vampires?

Then feast on nineteen tantalizing, bite-sized tales exploring the intersections between the living, dead, and undead.

The vampires in these stories range from romantic to chilling to gleeful--and touch on nearly every emotion in between. The one thing they have in common is their desire for blood. . . .

Stories fromGenevieve ValentineSteve Berman Christopher BarzakNeil Gaiman Delia ShermanGarth Nix Suzy McKee CharnasKaaron Warren Cecil Castellucci Jeffrey Ford Nathan Ballingrud Kathe Koja Catherynne M. Valente Melissa Marr Ellen Kushner Cassandra Clare Holly Black Lucius Shepard Emma BullTanith Lee

Bordertown. Once a normal American city, now a perilous nexus between the World and returned Elfland. From the banks of the addictive Mad River to the all-night clublands where young elves and humans fight and play, all the way up to glittering dragon's Tooth Hill, where high society seals itself away from the street--this is no city to trifle with.

Bordertown. A place of hidden magic, flamboyant artists, runaway teenagers, and pagan motorcycle gangs. The city you always knew was there.

Bordertown was created by Terri Windling, multiple World fantasy Award-winning editor, artist, and writer. Now thirteen of modern fantasy's finest writers return to Bordertown once again, to tell a new cycle of tales of the city. Here are Charles de Lint, Ellen Kushner, Patricia A. McKillip, Felicity Savage, Delia Sherman, Midori Snyder, Caroline Stevermer--and here is bestselling author Steven Brust with "When the Bow Breaks," chosen as a finalist for the Nebula Ward after the hardcover publication of this volume.

Bordertown. It's an attitude and a state of mind. It's elfin light and human sweat. It will never let you go.

Welcome to Newford. . . .

Welcome to the music clubs, the waterfront, the alleyways where ancient myths and magic spill into the modern world. Come meet Jilly, painting wonders in the rough city streets; and Geordie, playing fiddle while he dreams of a ghost; and the Angel of Grasso Street gathering the fey and the wild and the poor and the lost. Gemmins live in abandoned cars and skells traverse the tunnels below, while mermaids swim in the grey harbor waters and fill the cold night with their song.

Like Mark Helprin's A Winter's Tale and John Crowley's Little, Big, Dreams Underfoot is a must-read book not only for fans of urban fantasy but for all who seek magic in everyday life.